D&D 3E/3.5 What are your current 3.5 House Rules?

[HellHound]

Not a lot of them in our games...

- Spell Focus is +2, there is no Greater Spell Focus
- Discipline Focus is identical to Spell Focus, but for psions, and requires psionic focus
- "Organic" character creation (4d6 drop lowest, roll each stat in order, swap any two stats, re-roll any one stat).
- Due to player request, no more than three playtest monsters per session. Therefore, to get around this, each playtest monster I include has at least one (often two) playtest templates on it.

 

[Chris Parker]

That is SO banned!

At no time, under no circumstance, may anyone play...

An Iajitsu Master
A Mystic Theurge
A Cerebromancer

 

[solomoncane]

Great thread! A lot of great minds thinking like my damaged one.

I used to be a rule junkie, accumulating tons of paper & cd-roms.
Now that I'm older (with less free time), I look for ways to simplify while increasing versatility.
By consolidating 3.0, 3.5, modern, free web stuff, and a few off-the-shelf products,
a very streamlined yet flexible system has emerged.
Shelves of books and volumes of binders have been replaced with a small notebook of rules.
These have evolved over time and been used for fantasy, pulp, and sci-fi settings.
Here are the highlights...
COMBAT
Ken Hood's Grim-N-Gritty (GnG) Combat System: realistic and concise.
Now using the simplified and revised version (even simpler).
The grimness of GNG is softened with use of Action Points.
No AoO (This and GnG combine to eliminate a lot of feats).
No miniatures: Narrative range system used.
MAGIC
Use a version of the Skill Based Magic System found at archmagus.us.
Add a few tweaks from the Elements of Magic Revised.
This is a concise system that allows careful magic-users to fight all day.
It also eliminates the need for volumes of spells and rules.
CHARACTER CREATION
Usually use 32 or 34 point buy system.
Choose a background (Streamlined version of modern d20 occupations).
FANTASY RACES
Prime PC races: Human, Dwarf, Elf.
"Fell" version of each prime race (this is campaign flavor): Orc, Hobgoblin, Drow.
Human Hybrids: Half-Elf, Half-Dwarf, Half-Orc, Half-Goblin, Half-Drow.
Small Races: generally only NPCs due to Grim-N-Gritty bias.
No weapon familiarity or specific skill bonuses.
CLASSES
Only 2 core classes: Warrior and Scholar.
Warrior: All non-spell special abilities of barbarian, fighter, monk, paladin, & ranger converted to feats.
You can recreate SRD classes or mix-and-match.
Scholar: Each level grants either lots of skill points/abilities or a spellcaster level.
Take all skills/abilities and you're essentially a rogue or an academic.
Take all spellcaster levels and you're essentially a sorcerer/wizard.
Mix the 2 level choices and you're essentially a bard.
Multiclassing the 2 core classes can recreate the cleric, druid, paladin, ranger, etc.
No multi-classing restrictions, except that it requires special training & time to add a 2nd core class.
No prestige classes: variety of special abilities and multiclassing makes this unnecessary.
I am considering adding a 3rd class, Hero (Four Color To Fantasy) for superheroes.
SKILLS
The number of skills is greatly collapsed as related skills are blended together.
As a result, PCs get about half the skill points they would get under the SRD.
All skills are class skills (no cross-class penalties).
Examples of skill combinations:
Acrobatics (Dex): Balance, Escape Artist, Tumble.
Athletics (Str): Climb, Jump, Swim.
Awareness (Wis): Listen, Sense Motive, Spot.
Stealth (Dex): Hide, Move Silently.
FEATS
The use of GnG and no AoO greatly reduce the number of feats.
Lesser and greater versions of feats are combined, but PCs get fewer free feats..
Since many skills are already combined, there are no +2/+2 skill feats (Skill Focus only).
The magic system eliminates the need for most metamagic feats.
Dodge grants a general +1 Dodge bonus and can be purchased multiple times (stacking).
Magic Item creation is a single feat that allows different creations at each level.
Technical Proficiency for each Cultural Level influences Weapon Proficiency & Craft-like skills.
Weapon Proficiencies: Simple, Martial , & Exotic versions of Melee, Projectile, and Firearm.
Each category (Simple, Martial, Exotic) gets you the entire sub-list.
GnG combat tends to favor skill over weapon selection.
SAVING THROWS:
Bonuses: Fort (Str & Con), Reflex (Dex & Int), Will (Wis & Cha).
This means that no ability is easily dumped.
It can give an extra boost to aid in surviving the intensity of Skill-Magic & GnG combat.
EQUIPMENT
Medium Armor: move 30', run 3x.
Weapon and Armor Degradation (simplified).
Any weapon with a hardness equivalent to adamantine (20?) can defeat DR/adamantine.

 

[Piratecat]

• Keen weapons and improved critical stack.
  
• Int-boosting items give you non-retroactive skill points.
  
• Massive damage drops you to -1 hit point.
  
• Sorcerers get UMD and Eschew Materials for free.
• The dodge feat gives you a +1 bonus against everyone.
• Paladins and monks can freely multiclass.
  
• Toughness also extends your dying range to -13 instead of -10.
  
• You can charge through allies.
  
• Once per campaign, you can reroll a hit die when levelling up.
• The size of a cleric or druid's spell list is limited to that of the PHB. If a divine spellcaster wants to add spells from other sources he must give up core spells to accomodate them. (Thanks for reminding me, forceuser!)
• No persistant spell.
• If a cohort doesn't accompany you on an adventure and isn't specifically on a mission for you, you gain the benefit of Improved Initiative. (from UA)

We have some unique spells and PrCs, but I think that's mostly it. We're also experimenting with the UA metamagic feat changes (apply it on the fly to spells 3 times a day), and it seems to be working fairly well as it gives a PC more tactical choices.

 

[ForceUser]

I am really curious to know what other DMs are house rulling for their 3.5 games. Right now I'm attempting to compile a list of the best house rules for the new version.

Post them here if you don't mind, or links to someone's home page if they have a list up.

If you post the link (or your link) please comment on why your rules have changed.

Thanks,

Aluvial

I don't use a ton of house rules. But I'm so used to them that they are really in the background at this point. Let me think.

• Death from massive damage scales with size. Small is 40, Medium 50, Large 60, etc.
• When picking new spells, players may only draw from the 3.5 Player's Handbook, Book of Exalted Deeds and, for clerics with the Travel domain or arcane spellcasters, the Manual of the Planes. Spells from other sources I like to use as treasure.
• The size of a cleric or druid's spell list is limited to that of the PHB. If a divine spellcaster wants to add spells from other sources he must give up core spells to accomodate them. Thanks P-Cat for that one.
• Sorcerers and bards do not require material components to cast spells. Instead, they pay an XP cost equal to 1/25th of the cost of a spell's material component for each casting. For example, stoneskin usually requires 250 gp worth of diamond dust. Sorcerers instead pay 25 XP to cast stoneskin. If a spell requires XP and gold, convert the gold into XP and add it to the total.
• Bluff is no longer a class skill for sorcerers. Instead I offer Use Magic Device.
• The Leadership feat is not available in my campaign because I have seven players. Instead, relationships with NPCs will be forged through strong roleplay and sometimes augmented by favorable Diplomacy rolls. "Strong roleplay" means good effort on the player's part, not Oscar-quality acting.
• I use the "clobbered" variant rule.
• The Persistent Spell feat is not available. It's stupid overpowered.
• You usually have to roleplay your way into a prestige class after meeting or seeking out a representative of that class. Thus, you may not enter at the "optimal" level.
• I give XP more for completing story goals than for killing monsters.

 

[ForceUser]

• Keen weapons and improved critical stack.

Oh man, I want to play a falchion fighter in your campaign. Just under normal 3.5 rules he's ungodly powerful, threatening a crit (and usually converting) about 30% of the time. Honestly, P-Cat, having seen my guy in action, when you combine Improved Crit and 3.5 Power Attack with a 2-handed weapon, you have a true beast of a fighter. My guy drops frost giants in two or three hits depending on crits. If you let him stack keen on top of that...I shudder in ecstacy to think about the orgy of damage such a character could inflict. Throw in Resounding Blow from BoED for toppers and you have a true death machine.

My guy entered the campaign as an 8th level fighter (WF falchion, WS falchion, Power Attack, Cleave, Great Cleave, Resounding Blow, Improved Crit falchion). 28-point character, +1 falchion, gauntlets of ogre power for a 20 Str. First fight we face frost giants. His opponent closes, having taken about 40 points of damage from arrows. We got bardsong going, haste & elation. I'm the lowest level character in the group. I step up, do a 4-point power attack (2d4 + 22 base damage). First hit for 25, second hit - threat. I convert & graze the frost giant for 57. Giant dies. No sweat.

When I think of my falchion fighter at Defenders of Daybreak levels, being allowed to stack Imp Crit & keen...oh man. I don't know the exact math, but that's a crit - what? 40-45% of the time? Verses living foes, assuming moderate wealth for extremely high levels - 200 damage per round, easy. From just me. That's not counting Great Cleave...just normal attacks.

What I'm trying to say is that perhaps allowing those to stack with 3.5 PA is not such a good idea. I'm already ga-ga with power just threatening on a 15.

 

[scruffygrognard]

Here are a few, campaign specific, house rules that I use:

Elves are fey. They are ageless, immune to natural diseases and magical aging effects, and have superior low-light vision (x4 distance). They also receive a +4 to Fort saves versus natural heat and cold hazards (see DMG). Elves have no Con penalty. They are LA+1. Wood elves and high elves are virtually the same except that wood elves have ranger as the favored class while high elves favor wizards.

Dark elves are played as high elves, and look much like them, but gain drow spell-like abilities, use of poison, spell resistance, save bonuses, ability modifiers, darkvision, and light blindness.

There are only wood, high, and dark elves in my campaign world.

Gnomes are fey. They are ageless, immune to natural diseases and magical aging effects, and have superior low-light vision (x4 distance). Their ability modifiers are -2 to STR and +4 to DEX. Like forest gnomes, they may use Pass Without Trace, as an innate ability, at will (self-only). LA +1.

There are only 2 types of gnomes in my campaign world, gnomes and spriggan.

No halflings.

Half-elves gain a bonus feat in place of their bonus to Gather Info and Diplomacy.


No half-orcs or orcs. Orcs are synonymous with goblins or hobgoblins.

No racial weapons and, as a result, no weapon familiarity rules.

Humans gain a cultural bonus to a particular skill/save or two based upon their homeland. This encourages players to play humans (the dominant race in my campaign).

Paladins are PrCs only.

Swashbucklers use a d8 for Hit Points, gain Shield Profiency (but may only use bucklers with their class abilities), and gain a bonus fighter feat at level 4, 9, and 16.

Rangers who choose fey as their favored enemy must choose a subtype in my game (as elves, gnomes, kobolds, and goblinoids are all fey). The fey creature type has been substantially changed in my campaign setting and now includes subtypes - i.e. gnome, elf, goblinoid,

Wizards gain Domain spells (as per UA) in place of specialization.

I use 3.0 weapon size/use rules. Thus a gnome can use a longsword 2-handed, a short sword 1-handed, and a dagger as a light weapon.

I use the Rich Burlew's Diplomacy rules (they work MUCH better and make sense).

Armor splits its bonus between an armor bonus and DR bonus.

No spiked chains.

That's all for now....

 

[Dark Dragon]

With the upcoming of 3.5, we changed some points:

- Keen weapon and improved crit feat stack (PC just reminded me... )
- Power Word: Kill and Power Word: Blind were just moved to the necromancy school, [mind-affecting] was deleted.
- Shifter PrC from MoW was completely revised: No constructs, undead, outsider, oozes and incorporeal creatures. +1 spell level every two levels.

 

[ForceUser]

With the upcoming of 3.5, we changed some points:

- Keen weapon and improved crit feat stack (PC just reminded me... )
- Power Word: Kill and Power Word: Blind were just moved to the necromancy school, [mind-affecting] was deleted.
- Shifter PrC from MoW was completely revised: No constructs, undead, outsider, oozes and incorporeal creatures. +1 spell level every two levels.

I want to play a falchion fighter in your campaign too! See above.

 

[Dark Dragon]

I want to play a falchion fighter in your campaign too! See above.

Yeah, it is quite funny to see our little female fighter/barbarian in action: Rage, WF bastard sword, GWF bastard sword, WS bastard sword, GWS bastard sword, IC bastard sword, Power Attack, Cleave, Great Cleave. When she wields a keen weapon, things get really bloody . And she wants to go for Whirlwind Attack and Spring Attack
The same for our elven ranger/deepwood sniper (using an oathbow) and the human rogue/fighter/deepwood sniper (he calls himself a security advisor...): About 80 points of damage PER arrow are possible on a threat.